Mars
by nerdybirdy54
Summary: When Mars Lawson moves to San Francisco with her brother, she has no idea what she's getting into when she signs up to go to Starfleet Academy. She slowly realizes that Starfleet is not what it seems. Especially when she starts to fall for someone she definitely shouldn't and ends up attracting the attention of an intergalactic psychopath. *1st post. Very AU. Set pre-Into Darkness*
1. Chapter 1

Hey, readers! This is just one of those stories that I started ages ago (so excuse my writing skills from when I was 12 lol), never published and just finally got back into after some inspiration. I hope you like it!

* * *

It had been a week since I had found their bodies. A week to come to terms with the end of the life I knew. The police were so shocked that a murder had occurred in the county after almost 50 years. Crime had reduced to an all-time low, mostly because there was no one left on the planet to commit crimes, really. Most humans lived off planet or were serving in Starfleet. The only places where crimes occasionally occurred were cities like NYC, San Francisco, and Paris, where relatively large populations remained. But this obviously wasn't the case with my parents.

They couldn't have an open-casket funeral because their bodies were too badly burned. It would be grisly to show the mourners a pile of ashes that were once their colleagues. The authorities wouldn't let me see them after they got to the scene, I quote "very inappropriate for a 17 year old." I guess they forgot, or rather ignorantly overlooked the fact that I was the one who found them. I was also their eldest child. It made sense to give me their burial rites, right? But no, apparently, our "godfather" Martin Stone (who had never bothered to come meet us before the funeral) was flying from San Francisco to oversee it. There would be no get together, no wake, or last wishes for my parents. Instead, he had seen to it that their cremation (as if they hadn't already been burned alive) would take place immediately. After that, we would meet with lawyers to discuss our estate. Dean and I had no living relatives except for Martin who was named Dean's godfather after he was born. He didn't even have an obligation towards me. I was utterly and completely alone.

"Dean! Mars! What a pleasure to meet you both!" Martin crooned. Apparently, he was a manager who had struck new money by dealing with companies who were mining rare minerals in Teaia and other far-off colonies. Rather, he was an illegal goods trader who had amassed a fortune by doing mining far away from the Federation's planetary reach. Why had my parents had ever associated with a cheating weasel like him, I would probably never know.

"Hello, sir." Dean mumbled quietly. My brother was always one for politeness. Me, on the other hand, not so much. I didn't bother replying. I instead smirked at his choice of attire; he was dressed in a silver blazer with leather dress pants of the same color.

"Well, let's get on with it then shall we?"

The ride to the funeral home was filled with silence. Neither Dean nor I wanted to share a vapid conversation or pleasantries with Martin. Somehow, he didn't get the memo.

"Do either of you know that you're moving to San Francisco with me?"

"What?" I spat in shock, "Can't we just stay here? I'm turning 18 in 6 months, and we can look after ourselves."

"It'll be against your parent's will to do that."

"I'm not in the will though."

"Yes, but Dean is. Dean must move to San Francisco, but you are under no obligation to. But you wouldn't want to leave him would you?"

Dean caught me with a look that said 'Please don't leave me with this greedy sociopath' and I knew that I was going to San Francisco after all.

After a long sigh, I finally replied, "No, I guess not."

I looked out the window and saw the Phoenix skyline shining brightly against the desert sunset. I sighed yet again. I was never going to see my friends again. I was never ever going to see my family again.

* * *

Thanks for reading! I'd appreciate any reviews, faves, or follows! Also, I'm always looking for good fanfics, so if you know any or have written any, shout em out below and I'll go check them out!


	2. Chapter 2

"Mars. Mars! Wake up, we're here!"

I woke up groggily to an insistent shaking on my shoulder with my eyes still squeezed shut.

"Seriously, you don't want to miss this view, Mars." My brother tried again, more seriously.

I groaned and turned my head to see what he was making such a big deal about. Past his head, I could see the vast emptiness of the sea, and the ancient, yet still majestic, Golden Gate Bridge. The bay was surrounded on all sides by 100 story skyscrapers and swarms of hovers. I was amazed at the amount of life in the city. Bright neon lights shone across the evening sky, giving the city a liveliness that was almost welcoming. Almost.

"Isn't amazing?" Dean breathed out.

"It actually is," I murmured, still looking out at the vast emptiness of the golden coast.

* * *

I gaped at the glass palace that Martin lived in. There wasn't a brick to be seen in the whole bungalow.

Looking at my expression, "I know it looks very unconventional, but the glass is diamond-cased and the shading is adjustable."

I glanced at Dean, who wore the same expression as me. I picked up my 2 suitcases and followed Martin up the stairs. It was all very strange, yet at the same time very posh, exactly catered to Martin's taste.

We waited for a few seconds as Martin's eye sensor scanned him and let us in. He immediately crashed into the goldenrod armchair in front of us and stared awkwardly at us before gesturing for us to sit as well, as if he had forgotten about the 2 of us.

"We didn't properly get a chance to talk back in Phoenix, so I thought we could now. So…Mars, what are you planning on doing after high school?"

I hadn't really thought about that at all, honestly. But the thought of saying the truth to Martin didn't seem like the best idea.

"I was planning on enlisting with Starfleet, I guess. They have a pretty good engineering program."

"Really? Their headquarters are actually in San Francisco, and so is Starfleet Academy. We could arrange a tour there, and you can enroll in no time."

"Oh, uh, great!" I responded with fake enthusiasm, "But, I couldn't ask you to do that-"

"Not at all, Mars. It's perfectly fine. In fact, I'm glad you're showing interest in your future. I'll arrange for a tour tomorrow for both of you."

"Now on to Dean. What are you thinking of doing?"

"Well, I'm not sure. I mean, I'm only a freshman, so I still have time to decide right?"

"I suppose you could intern with my company and see if being a broker interests you. Or if you're more interested in the mining side of things, you could-"

I could clearly see that Dean had absolutely no interest in becoming a man like Martin. In fact, I gagged at that very thought.

"I was actually planning on enrolling in Starfleet Academy as well, like Mars."

Before Martin could reply, a new voice rang out from across the room.

"Hello, darling!"

A strange woman, dressed in a gaudy outfit and fine jewelry, entered the apartment. She hugged Martin from behind and started preparing a drink for herself behind the extravagant bar.

"This is Claudia, my girlfriend. Love, could you get me a drink too?"

"Of course, sweet pea!" she drawled in a sickeningly sweet tone.

She teetered over in her black stilettoes, holding 2 glasses of amber liquid. Claudia was really just a female version of Martin. They were really made for each other. As if she just noticed us sitting in the corner, she turned her head and looked us both over from head to toe.

"Well, aren't you both just charming. Though, your fashion sense is quite….outdated."

I looked down at my outfit. An old t-shirt, a pair of boyfriend jeans, and some chucks were apparently outdated, not that I cared in the least. I had just about had it with these smug, rich weasels who claimed to be my guardians.

"We'll have to take you both shopping before you go to Starfleet. How about tomorrow?"

Oh no. I was not looking forward to this at all.


	3. Chapter 3

I woke up to someone knocking on my door and yelling, "Mars, wake up! We're going out!"

I groaned and rolled over in my sheets. I had completely forgotten about the Starfleet and shopping trip which Martin and Claudia had planned for us.

I rolled out of bed and stumbled into the bathroom to get ready. After taking a shower in the fancy bathroom, I stopped to get a look at myself in the mirror. My normally peaceful grey eyes had a scary feral appearance with the dark circles that graced them and my brown hair was currently branching out into an afro-bob, with strands sticking in every direction. After I managed to brush it out into semi-calm waves, I put on some black leggings and a maroon jumper for a chilly January morning.

Once I went downstairs, I saw my brother in one of Barry's old Metallica t-shirts and smiled at how loose it fit him. I smirked and mussed his already messy bedhead.

"You look like you just climbed out of bed, you know?"

I laughed sardonically, and responded, "And you don't?"

"Claudia's gonna have a hissy fit."

To speak of the devil as she came downstairs, Claudia came downstairs looking perfect as ever in a dark blue pencil dress with Martin by her side.

"Good Morning, kids," Claudia chirped, "Oh, this is so exciting, Martin, it's our first family outing!"

I nearly scoffed at what I had just heard. Was this the same person who had just yesterday looked at us like we were garbage off the side of the street? Besides, I doubt she even knew what a family was. The family that I knew and remembered and loved had an amazingly messy, tiny house, a garage with 5 antique cars, and a rooftop cactus garden.

Even so, I put on a fake smile to keep Claudia happy. Someone, just hand me an Oscar already.

As we were walking out, the sun was starting to peek through the thick, grey clouds that loomed overhead. I decided to take a chance and hope that the sun would stay and that the clouds would clear out soon enough. On second thought, I realized just how dreary San Francisco was. As we walked further into the city, the sun showed no further signs of coming out and fog started pouring in from every corner possible.

The city, however, was bustling with life. There were vendors at every corner, with little shops and restaurants crowding the tiny alleyways with tourists going in and out. Paper lanterns were strung everywhere, red and gold streamers welcomed shoppers and diners into tiny, dirty, but lively little nooks. In the far distance, I saw Starfleet's headquarters shining like a beacon, with hovers all around. I wondered if I could be a part of that.

I was shaken from my thoughts by Dean pulling me through the street towards a little shop called "The Original Fortune Cookie Factory." The shop was cluttered with a few people here and there, but not nearly as many as we saw on the street.

A young girl, about my age, saw us and started walking to us with a warm smile on her face.

"Welcome to the OG Fortune Cookie Factory! Here are our specials!"

She handed us a small menu of different items.

"We also have a couple's fortune cookie, if you're interested."

I didn't even have to look at Dean's face to know that he was already turning red in the face with embarrassment.

"We-we're not" Dean muttered.

"He's my brother, but thanks for your help," I interjected.

She looked momentarily stricken before returning to her happy demeanor.

"I'm so sorry for that, I shouldn't have assumed. Would you two still like fortune cookies?"

I nodded and smiled.

"By the way, I'm Jade." She looked curiously at me for a second, "Wait, you don't by any chance go to Starfleet, do you?"

I grinned, "Not yet, but I'm starting soon."

"I go there, and it's amazing! I had an internship in the med bay on the Farragut, and it was so cool-"

She paused for a moment and I heard the door open, with the clatter of heels following, which I knew probably belonged to Claudia.

"There you are, we've been looking for you everywhere! We're going to be late for the Starfleet campus tour, so hurry!"

"It was nice to meet you, Jade. By the way, I'm Mars and that's Dean."

Jade smiled brightly as we turned the corner out the door and I heard her yell, "See you at school!"

And I thought maybe, just maybe, enrolling in Starfleet wasn't such a bad thing after all.

* * *

The tour took about an hour, bearing no new groundbreaking information. Some faculty just took us through the entire campus to look at all of the facilities and housing. The only part I truly found interesting was when we passed by the ship hangar because I couldn't wait to get my hands on some of those warp cores. Finally, we stopped at the admissions office, where I was told I would have to enroll in classes and housing if I needed to.

Dean and I waited and filled out a PADD with biodata while Martin spoke with the director about our situation. Finally, we were asked to come into his office.

Admiral Pike was waiting at the desk, looking down at what appeared to be our transcripts and school records. He thoroughly vetted the papers for what seemed to be a century before he finally looked up and acknowledged our presence. He held my gaze with piercing blue eyes as if trying to find any weaknesses or bad intentions.

"It is my honor to grant you both admission into Starfleet Academy. This is a prestigious school for a reason. You will have many opportunities to reach the stars and beyond here. I suggest you use them wisely and to your advantage."

Dean and I looked at each other and broke out into uncontrollable grins.

"Now, here are your schedules." He handed us both sheets of paper with a listing of classes and times on them, "Mars, I put you into the engineering pathway classes, as you were exceptional in your previous classes at the Phoenix School of Science and Arts. Dean, for the time being, you are in the general pathway with all other first years. Depending on your performance this year, you will select which pathway to follow next year."

"Thank you so much, sir, this really means a lot to us." Dean responded.

I could see the smallest hint of a smile surface as he nodded and led us out of his office as he pushed his wheelchair away from his desk. Suddenly, his eyes turned downcast as if he had just had a dark memory resurface.

"I am also truly sorry for what happened to your parents. Losing people you love, especially when you're this young, is extremely difficult. Be strong and have courage. It's what they would've wanted you to do."

His words struck me like a bolt of lightning. Since our parents' untimely passing, no one had ever shown the amount of care that Admiral Pike had. I couldn't help but tear up as I thought of my parents and how much I missed them. And Pike understood and respected that.

I had a feeling that life at Starfleet would be a new start for us, a chance for us to be a part of something bigger than ourselves, a chance at making new memories to replace the old ones that we dwelled on. To explore the universe that awaited, for the first time in a long time, I was truly thrilled.

But before that, I had to survive high school.


	4. Chapter 4

We finally have some Kirk POVs (hehe) in this chapter! Reviews, follows, and faves are much appreciated! Next chapter should be up by tomorrow and includes everyone's favorite half-Vulcan :)

* * *

After a hectic day out in the city and exploring Starfleet Academy, we had finally made it back through the doors of Martin's glass bungalow as the sunset through the fog in the distance. Claudia's incessant attempts at getting me to try on the most hideous "modern" clothes were exhausting, to say the least. After persistently trying for more than an hour by dragging me from store to store, I finally gave in and let her pick whatever she wanted me to wear. I highly doubted I would actually wear any of the things she bought me; rather, they would stay like most of my other clothes, forever trapped inside a laundry hamper or forgotten, stuffed into the bottom of a drawer.

Otherwise, it had been a pretty nice trip. I was curious to see what kinds of food San Francisco had to offer (other than fortune cookies) and wasn't disappointed in the least. After grabbing a bite at a sushi place, I got a nice little stash of chips, candy, and other eclectic treats to keep me satiated just in case the food at Starfleet's mess hall was exceptionally vomit-worthy. I also had a few other places in mind if I ever needed to order takeout in middle of the night. Hey, it never hurt to prepare right?

I collapsed in exhaustion onto my bed and decided to sort through everything I had received and brought with me so that I would be ready to move in come tomorrow morning. I decided to start with my schedule. One thing I was glad about was the fact that my classes weren't all in one day. Instead, I only had about 2 classes a day that met once or twice a week. The only catch was that they were all almost 3 hours long. Which might be a problem, considering that I had the attention span of a fruit fly, especially when it came to some of the more boring classes like Fed History.

 _Advanced Physics II || S. Lee || Mon and Wed || SCI 105_

 _Federation History and Cultures || L. T'Soni || Tues and Wed || HIST 107_

 _Basic Warp Theory and Design || M. Scott || Tues and Thurs || SCI 202_

 _Vulcan I || Spock || Mon and Thurs || LANG 201_

 _Interspecies Protocol || J. Kirk || Fri || XENO 100_

 _Warp Engineering Internship || M. Scott || - || -_

Apparently, I had come right before the term had started, which meant that all the other cadets had already moved into the dorms the week before. This was the last weekend before classes started. More like, the last weekend before all hell breaks loose.

I wondered if I would see that girl who had worked at the shop Dean had dragged me to. Jade, I think. She seemed friendly enough and considering that I didn't know anyone else my age in the whole goddamn city, I really needed some friends.

I sighed and got to work packing all of my belongings for move-in day the next morning.

* * *

 _Kirk_

 _A few weeks earlier_

"Admiral Pike, with all due respect sir, we don't deserve this. What happened on Nibiru was, well, it was necessary, but-"

"Kirk, did I just hear you say 'It was necessary' after I just spent the past half hour explaining to you what the Prime Directive of the Federation is and why it is absolutely imperative," I opened my mouth in protest only to have Pike shush me for the millionth time, "that you must follow it at ALL times and under ALL circumstances?"

"Well, yes sir, but I only broke the Prime Directive because of Commander Spock here," I pointed to the half-Vulcan man standing next to me, "who decided to take a heroic little dive into the mouth of an active, erupting volcano."

I could already feel the heated side-eye coming from Spock as a result of me deflecting the blame onto him. I had already taken the brunt of Pike's anger for the better part of an hour; this was payback for making me save his puny little ass after his borderline suicidal stunt on Nibiru.

"I defer, Mr. Kirk. I had already told you and the other crew members that I was fully prepared to give up my life for the sake of the planet's inhabitants. Therefore, your actions to save me were completely of your own volition, and, also highly illogical."

I rolled my eyes at his utter predictability. Of course, the Vulcan punk brought logic into this.

"How long are you going to keep your head stuck up your ass, Spock? I saved your life. The least you could do is be thankful for once!"

"Thanks are illogical."

"Listen, you pointy-eared-"

Pike glanced at us and made the mental decision that this conversation was going nowhere. He knew that both of us were too stubborn (though Spock would never admit that) to admit that we were both wrong. At this point, I knew that we were both stuck with the punishments we had received, which I for one was not looking forward to.

"Captain James T. Kirk and Commander Spock, you are hereby relieved of your duties on the U.S.S. Enterprise. You both are demoted to academic faculty for this calendar semester, along with those who aided you." Damn, that meant Scotty and Nyota, too. I would never hear the end of this from them, I was sure.

Pike added a slight pause to make sure that the consequences sunk in and permeated for a while. He also looked at me with an expression that said 'That means NO sneaking aboard the Enterprise, Kirk.'

He continued, "Mr. Kirk, you will be teaching various interspecies communication classes, ranging from basic protocol to close contact situations to this year's cadets." I groaned. Great, so this was it then. I would spend the rest of my year (and from the looks of it, my career) teaching a bunch of stinking brats. "Mr. Spock, you will be teaching Vulcan language courses, from basic to intermediate Vulcan."

I swear I just heard something that sounded akin to a grumbling noise come from the usually stoic man standing next to me.

"You have about two weeks before the cadets come back and the term begins, so I would get to work on those lesson plans. Also, let Lieutenant Scott and Lieutenant Uhura know that they can come inside as you leave." They were waiting outside for their turn, I suppose.

"And also, gentlemen, make sure you learn something from this. Because in the future, Starfleet, nor I, will tolerate this type of behavior."

So this was what I got for saving people's lives. Great. Just freaking great. It's times like this when I think I should have just stayed in Kansas.

* * *

P.S. Did anyone catch that Mass Effect reference? Thanks for reading, guys!


End file.
